


Without a Word, You Lead Me

by scatteredstardust



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Harry Potter Setting, Attempt at Humor, Enemies to Lovers, Gryffindor Lee Donghyuck, M/M, Making Out, Mark Lee (NCT) is Whipped, Mark Lee (NCT)-centric, Mark simps for Donghyuck, Pining, Potions, Slytherin Mark Lee, Unrequited Crush, Veela Mark Lee, and so is wendy, irene is mark's mom, though sort of one-sided
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-09
Updated: 2021-03-09
Packaged: 2021-03-18 09:35:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,000
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29607465
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/scatteredstardust/pseuds/scatteredstardust
Summary: Donghyuck laughs in response. “Well, now we’ll never know, will we?”He tries to shove him again and Mark catches his hands. For a second, he looks confusedly at his hands trapped in Mark's grasp before he wrenches them away and runs up the stairs.—Beautiful. Some people were just too beautiful.For as much  as Mark’s veela enchants hold sway over everyone else, Donghyuck always seems to be immune. Sometimes it seems like Donghyuck despises him. It’s riveting.
Relationships: Lee Donghyuck | Haechan/Mark Lee
Comments: 31
Kudos: 285
Collections: Challenge #5 — I heard a secret..





	Without a Word, You Lead Me

**Author's Note:**

> thank you to my beta enni (@sunflowers4hyck) for all of the help. you were invaluable. 💕 also title is from f(x) song shadow.

The clouds part. Angels sing from above. A beautiful chord rings throughout the Great Hall, though that could also be brain damage from the bludger he took last week. Mark lets out a soft sigh and rests his head on his hands. Some people were just too—

“ _Psst_. Hey lovebird! He’s looking this way.” Renjun elbows Mark in the ribs, making him choke on his oatmeal. He really hopes _he_ didn’t see that—Mark already embarrasses himself enough in front of Donghyuck. But when he looks up, Donghyuck is chatting amiably with the seventh-year Hufflepuff next to him.

It makes sense. For as much as Mark’s veela enchants hold sway over everyone else, Donghyuck always seems to be immune. Sometimes it seems like Donghyuck despises him. It’s riveting.

Jeno kicks him under the table. “Hey, turn that down, would you? I’m trying to eat.”

Nearby, a gaggle of girls giggle in his direction. Mark startles at the kick before pulling a small vial out of his robes and pouring the contents into his pumpkin juice.

Only Mark’s friends and family knew about his veela heritage, and they were all sworn to secrecy. Mark drinks down the bitter liquid, frowning at the taste.

Recently, the potion has been working for shorter time periods. The potion was never perfect, Mark could always see where his charm slipped through, when professors would give him too much leeway or girls would smile at him for too long despite Mark not doing anything to deserve it.

If Mark had the power to change his genes, he would do anything to be a normal human.

The bell for the end of breakfast rings and people slowly start to file out of the Great Hall, bottlenecking at the doorway. Mark dithers a little waiting for… he doesn’t know. It’s stupid, he knows, but if only he could make contact—

“Watch where you’re going, snake,” Donghyuck growls as he shoves Mark out of the way with his shoulder.

Mark can hardly hide his smile as he slowly walks to his Divination class.

✨

Mark has his Potions class three days a week on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, and that’s about all his poor heart can take.

It’s because Potions has bench partners. Assigned bench partners. From different houses.

Having Lee Donghyuck, his crush and greatest rival cum enemy, as his bench partner in the one class he is an absolute disaster in is both the best and the worst part of his week.

“Maybe if you held the knife like a knife instead of a quaffle, we would get somewhere with this potion,” Donghyuck muses as he reclines against the bench.

“Maybe you could help?” Mark says, increasing the pace of his messy slices.

“Oh, I’m good. I finished my part, oh,” Donghyuck glances at his watch with disdain. “twenty minutes ago? I’ll just wait, watching you fail is amusing.”

Mark glances despairingly at the clock above the door. He has no time left. Right as he thinks this, Professor Solji claps her hands together to get the attention of the class. “Alright class! Excellent work on your Mortimutis potions, all of you!” Every bench around them has their potion labelled and put into vials. Mark wants to crawl in a hole in embarrassment.

“If you haven’t completed your potion yet, you may stay after class on Thursday to add your last touches.”

Mark looks up in alarm. Thursday isn’t good. Thursday is—

“Excuse me professor, but Thursday is the day of the Gryffindor-Slytherin quidditch game. We can’t stay after class on that day.” Donghyuck speaks before raising his hand.

Donghyuck opens his mouth to continue. Mark quickly places a hand on his arm to keep him silent.

“The potions lab is only open for students after class on Thursday. I can open the lab an hour before, but that’s it.” Professor Solji makes a sympathetic expression. “If you work hard and cooperate, you may even finish before the game starts.”

Mark pinches Donghyuck’s arm to prevent him from speaking again. “Yes, professor.” Mark bows his head. “We will work hard to complete this on Thursday.”

“Okay!” The professor claps her hands together again. “I’m glad we’re in agreement! I hope you all learned something today. Class dismissed.”

Before Mark can react, Donghyuck storms out of the class, slipping out from under Mark’s fingers.

✨

Mark rushes after Donghyuck in the hall.

‘Wait,” Mark catches his arm. ‘I’m sorry, okay? I didn’t mean to cause us—”

Donghyuck shakes his arm off to glare at him. “I don’t need your apology! I need you to not be awful at potions. Stop being such a goody-two-shoes little shit that has to constantly kiss the teachers’ asses.” He punctuates his statement with a shove.

Mark’s eyes widen at the accusation. “That wasn’t what I was trying to do, Donghyuck! I kept you from talking back because it wasn’t going to do anything except get us in trouble.”

Donghyuck laughs in response. “Well, now we’ll never know, will we?”

He tries to shove him again and Mark catches his hands. For a second, he looks confusedly at his hands trapped in Mark's grasp before he wrenches them away and runs up the stairs.

— _Beautiful_. Some people were just too beautiful.

✨

Mark utters a quiet _lumos_ as he scans the dimly lit potions stacks. He scans the spines quickly, whispering quietly under his breath.

“A-morten, morticians, _a-ha_ , mortimut- _ah!_ ”

Mark’s shriek gets cut off by a vice-like hand covering his mouth. He struggles for a moment against the restraint, biting at the skin before he hears someone hisses from behind.

“It’s me, asshole. Guess we had the same dumb idea, huh?”

Mark tenses in realization.

“Donghyuck? What are you doing here? You’re supposed to be—”

“Asleep, I know. So are you, golden boy. Don’t you need to get your beauty sleep before you kiss our teachers’ asses tomorrow?” Donghyuck smirks at him.

Mark frowns. “I don’t _kiss our—_ okay, whatever.”

Donghyuck rolls his eyes. “What’s so important that Mark Lee himself broke curfew?”

“I—well.” Mark pauses, figuring he has no pride to lose now. “I wanted to study up on the potion so—you know—so I can pull my weight on Thursday.”

Donghyuck gives him an unreadable look. He reaches towards him, making Mark squeak and jump, but Donghyuck’s arm merely brushes past as he plucks a book from the shelf behind them. He gives Mark one last look and walking towards the study section of the darkened library.

Mark dithers for a moment before following. “Hey! I actually need that book you kn—”

Donghyuck pulls a chair out and waves an imperious hand in front of the seat. “Sit.”

Mark sits. Donghyuck takes the seat across from him and folds his hands together.

“Your main problem in potions is—well, everything, really, but we don’t have time for that. Right now, we’ll focus on the specific skills you need for Mortimutis.” Donghyuck lets out a beleaguered sigh before conjuring a mortar and pestle, cutting board and knife, and a… beetroot

“For your portion of this potion, you need to chop the ingredients finely. To be honest, I don’t see you doing it finely, and I’m not even sure about _chopping_. We’re going to practice with this.” Donghyuck hands him the board and the beetroot. He sits back in his chair, and gestures at Mark to proceed.

Mark picks up the vegetable and turns it over in his hands. He blushes at Donghyuck’s gaze. “I’m not—”

Donghyuck starts to get up from his chair.

“Okay, okay, jeez.” Mark picks up the knife.

Over the next half hour, Mark tries and fails about twenty times at chopping the beetroot. Sometimes he fails spectacularly and occasionally he just fails. Soon, Donghyuck is hovering over his shoulder and guiding his fingers on the knife.

“I thought you would have figured this out by now, head boy and all.” Donghyuck huffs as Mark’s fingers slip on the knife. 

Donghyuck’s voice buzzes in his brain, words whispered close enough to Mark’s ear that he could feel the fine hairs rise. Mark’s entire shoulder and arm tingles as if zapped with muggle electricity. He thanks the library’s dim lighting for hiding his inevitably flushed face.

Mark takes a second to answer. “Just— between N.E.W.Ts and quidditch. Yeah.” Mark sighs to himself as the knife slips from his hand. “I’ll try harder, I’m sorry.”

Donghyuck is quiet for a second before he speaks in a soft, begrudging tone. “It’s okay to have trouble sometimes. You have a lot on your plate. I mean, I can’t imagine how draining it must be, having to kiss our professors’ asses all the time.”

Mark ignores the dig and looks at Donghyuck. The faint light of the library limns Donghyuck’s features, alighting his button nose and the sweet arch of his lips. Demons really are just fallen angels, aren’t they? Mark almost sighs at the sight before gathering himself up to speak.

“You’re seeker for the Gryffindor team and a prefect for your house right?” Mark says as if he isn’t aware of both those things. “You’ve been getting it done, I just need to do better. I _will_ do better.”

Donghyuck bristles at his words. “I am not like you. I will never be like you.”

Mark feels anger boiling in the pit of his stomach. “Why do you hate me so much? What did I ever do to you anyway?” He leans closer to Donghyuck, trying to get a reaction.

Donghyuck’s eyes scan over his face, flicking from Mark’s frowning mouth to his dark eyes. “If you don’t know,” he whispers, “I don’t think I could explain it to you.”

Mark groans in frustration at the cryptic answer before he pushes away Donghyuck’s shoulder. He catches Mark’s hands and traps them in his. Donghyuck opens his mouth and closes it again and Mark stares at the motion, mesmerized. Donghyuck clears his throat, and Mark’s eyes flick up. He’s been caught.

Donghyuck scoffs. “Maybe I’d hate you less if you weren’t a fucking coward, Mark Lee.”

With that, Donghyuck’s mouth is pressed to his.

Mark freezes for a moment. At first, they clash awkwardly, teeth clacking together and lips cold and stiff, but then the universe rights itself and they’re kissing.

Immediately it gets rougher, dirtier, Mark’s pent-up frustration revealing itself. Mark bites at Donghyuck’s bottom lip and roughly pulls him into his lap. Donghyuck fumbles and makes a squeaking noise before falling into it again.

Donghyuck’s kisses are sweet, heady. He kisses like he has something to prove to Mark, something to tell him, and Mark is willing to listen, eagerly sucking on his tongue, arms squeezing at his sides underneath the robes.

Donghyuck pulls back as a thought niggles at the back of Mark’s mind.

_When was the last time I drank my potion?_

Mark jerks backwards to look into Donghyuck’s dazed expression. _Of course._

Donghyuck hates him. How could he have even thought—

Donghyuck moves forward again, and Mark pushes him away. He jerks up from the seat, knocking Donghyuck into the table. He looks up at Mark with wide eyes and his throat seizes up.

“I’m sorry,” Mark whispers before running past the stacks and back to the dungeon, back to safety.

✨

“It’s all my fault, mom,” Mark sighs.

The figure in the floo hums and crackles. The Hogwarts floo channel tended to be iffy during the winter, but Mark needed to speak to his mother, possibly the only person who could understand his current predicament.

“Feelings aren’t created from thin air, Mark. Even if the potion wore off and your enchants were affecting him, I don’t believe that alone would compel him.”

Mark plays with the hem of his robe. “Then. How did you know mom really loved you and wasn’t compelled?”

The figure in the fire laughed. “When Seungwan started pursuing me, I thought she was compelled, too; I was just sure she had some other motivation. And, you know, I wasn’t as nice back then as I am now.”

Mark thinks of a young Bae Joohyun, coldly rebuffing any suitors that came before her. How did she accept the effects of her nature? Mark took the potion, yet he still feels guilty all the time.

“But mom never hated you.”

His mother sighs, causing the floo to crackle dangerously for a moment. “Look, I think the best thing for you to do now is just _communicate_ with him. He’s probably confused too. I know that it’s scary, but I promise you’ll feel better.”

Mark’s hands fisted in the hem of his robe. “But what if it doesn’t work? What if he’s furious with me?”

“Then at least you’ll know.”

✨

The potions class went without incident, under strict supervision from Professor Solji. Once they decanted the potion, Mark was pretty sure there was _something_ wrong with it, oozing where it shouldn’t be oozing. The professor merely sighed and declared it good enough before telling them to shoo.

With a quick _accio,_ they both suited up and rushed to the quidditch game with nary a minute to spare.

So, no time for conversation, exactly.

The afterparty was a bacchanal, like always. The firewhiskey was flowing and the team chants were loud enough to give Mark a headache, though that would’ve persisted either way.

He couldn’t find Donghyuck _anywhere._

Mark stumbles down the stairs toward the Slytherin dungeon, just about ready to _accio_ Donghyuck to his side, if one could _accio_ another wizard.

Mark trips on the last step and loses his balance for a moment when an arm grips his elbow, stabilizing him.

“Thank y— oh. I was looking for you.”

Donghyuck’s eyes are dark and intense. “Well. You found me.”

Mark takes a deep breath before squaring his shoulders. “I wanted to apologize. Donghyuck, I’m really sorry about what happened in the library.”

Donghyuck only stares at him with a confused expression. Mark opens his mouth to explain, but Donghyuck cuts him off before he starts rambling.

“Why did you push me away? When we kissed. I thought you’d— I thought you hated it.”

“I—I didn’t hate it!”

Donghyuck gives him that look again, like he wasn’t making sense.

Mark takes a deep breath. “I didn’t hate it. I just— it might be easier to show you.”

He pulls Donghyuck into a dark alcove before taking out his wand. Donghyuck looks alarmed at the motion.

“Relax— just.” Mark waves his hand and utters a spell, reversing the effects of the potion.

Donghyuck just stares at him. “Oh.”

Mark’s chest constricts at the reaction. He starts to explain. “I’m a veela, Donghyuck. When you kissed me then, it was probably because—”

“You think your veela enchants compelled me to kiss you.”

Mark nods, looking down at the ground. “The potion I take— what, why are you laughing?”

Mark looks up to see Donghyuck leaning against the wall with his eyes scrunched close, breathing out loud, hiccupping laughs.

Mark’s shoulders tense. “Whatever,” he mumbles pulling out of the alcove before Donghyuck catches his elbow.

“It’s just, I’ve had a crush on you since grade school. And you think I kissed you because you’re a _veela_?”

Mark felt blood rushing to his ears. A crush? His eyebrows furrow. “But—You _hate_ me. Even if you’re attracted to me, it could be because—”

Donghyuck covers Mark’s mouth with his hand. “I never hated you. I just thought you were stuck up. And petty. And you would always reject everyone who tried to approach you or ask you out, and you always ignored me when I tried to be friends with you.”

Wasn’t that basically hatred? Donghyuck takes his hand off and Mark tries to speak against all the words.

He gets cut off by Donghyuck’s hand again. “I—”

“And one more thing, I know you’re a veela. I always knew you were a veela. My dad literally knows Joohyun Auntie, and I’m best friends with Renjun, if you’ve forgotten.”

Donghyuck removes his hand. Mark’s mind goes blank. There’s just- so much to say, and Mark doesn’t even know how to say it.

He clears his throat. “Renjun was sworn to secrecy.”

Donghyuck snorts in response. “Yeah, well.”

Mark can’t remember a specific instance where he had ever rejected Donghyuck in the past, but he couldn’t completely discount it. For a long time, Mark would reject anyone who came near him, overwhelmed by attention that he quickly figured out was probably more due to _what_ he was, than _who_ he was. Even after he moved up to Hogwarts and started taking the potion, he was still wary.

“Oh.” Mark starts cautiously, “I rejected you when we were kids?”

“Yeah, And also at the Yule Ball I asked you to dance and you ran away— said your potion was wearing off or something.”

“Ah.” Renjun always did say Mark lacked self-awareness.

Mark looks down. “I was a shy kid. I don’t remember too much, but I’m sorry if I was harsh back then. If I can, I would like to make it up to you.” Mark sighs. “I’ve had a crush on you for a long time, Donghyuck. And I knew that you hated me, but it was almost… nice?” You’ve never wanted me to like you, and I really liked that.”

Donghyuck’s mouth softens a bit at the admission. “I like you too. Especially, you know, when your head’s not stuck up your ass. But you know how you can make it up to me?” Donghyuck steps into Mark’s space, eyes moving to his lips. “Kiss me.”

So Mark does.

✨

Donghyuck likes to hold Mark’s hand as they walked to class these days. Mark complains, but well.

_Well._

In some ways, Donghyuck’s confidence starts to rubs off on Mark too. Over time he’s learning to trust that people like him because of himself. Donghyuck always says he was the prettier between the two of them anyway.

Mark agrees.

**Author's Note:**

> if you liked this, please leave a kudos and comment and lmk who was more frustrating in this, mark or hyuck? and if you've gotten this far thanks for reading!! 💕💕
> 
> ****
> 
> **...**
> 
> this was written for A Little Wonder Fest "secrets" round. thank you mods for being fabulous!  
> also check out [sockfic](https://archiveofourown.org/works/28522839/chapters/69892518) and follow me on [twt](https://twitter.com/stardust_made) if you're interested :P  
> [ask me questions](https://scatteredinstars.tumblr.com/ask) (cross-posted to twt!)


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